Ovechkin Deserves MVP

With the 2007/2008 NHL season winding down with a couple games left, there's a question that has been pondering many minds and that is...who will win the MVP or the "Hart Memorial Trophy"? Just watch any hockey game and you'll notice the announcers discussing this tremendous trophy. This year just like any year, many candidates are worthy of winning. It has been a tight race that is hard to determine who the clear cut winner is. Whoever is crowned as the MVP of the NHL, I'm sure there will be a lot of experts saying how some other player deserved it and this player didn't. However for me there is a player out there who I think is the winner and it shows. That player is Washington Capital left winger, Alexander Ovechkin.

Ovechkin has produced a ridiculous amount of goals this season leading the Caps to at least competing for a playoff spot. I don't care who you are, who you've faced against, what team you are playing for, 60 plus goals this day and age is insane. Ovechkin being on the Capitals doesn't help either. He doesn't have the supporting cast like Malkin does in Pittsburgh or like Joe Thorton does in San Jose. However Ovechkin is not all about scoring either. Just watch one of his games, you'll know exactly what I mean. He plays all out, has eye-catching speed and agility, is a great passer, and is very physical with other players which is something that is rare with players like Ovechkin.

I keep hearing this argument that if the Capitals don't make the playoffs, Ovechkin doesn't deserve the Hart. Let's think of where the Caps would be if Ovechkin wasn't on their team. That's right, most likely last in the conference and hoping for that first round draft pick. Instead they're fighting for a playoff spot which is something Washington hasn't since 2003. By the way hockey nation, MVP stands for "Most Valuable Player" and I'd have to say Ovechkin has been pretty valuable to the Capitals. How valuable you might ask? Consider this, Ovechkin's point total as of March, 28, 2008 is 107, the next player's point total on the Capitals roster, Nicklas Backstrom has only 66 points. I'd have to say that is a very large difference. It doesn't matter how good or bad your team is doing, it matters what you have done yourself. So who cares whether or not Ovechkin's team isn't as good as Malkin's Penguins or Iginla's Flames because just basing on what Ovechkin has done, he's clearly valuable enough to win.

Now I'm not saying other players don't deserve to claim the Hart either. Without Malkin, the Penguins would probably be fighting for a playoff spot, maybe not even that since Crosby was out for a third of a season. He's also not far behind Ovechkin in the point race either as he's only 4 points behind him. Jarome Iginla is also another worthy candidate to possibly take home the Hart. He's sort of has had a comeback season with the Flames as he wasn't as productive last year as he is this year. We also see Joe Thorton out in San Jose having a typical year as he has shined greatly and is definitely due to win the Hart one of these years. For me, I just think that Ovechkin's is just a little more worthy than the three I just mentioned.

Go watch Alexander Ovechkin the next time you get a chance because you'll know what I've been talking about. Even when he's not scoring he just does things that make you go "wow". Whether he's flying down the ice, making that incredible pass, or pummeling an oppenent to the ice, Ovechkin will clearly show you why he is the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

It's Time Joe.....

373 career wins, 2 National Championships, 2 Big Ten Championships, 5 undefeated seasons, and 24 career bowl wins. These are just some of many accomplishments made by Joe Paterno in his career. As well as building Penn State into one of the most prestigious universities in the country by giving back to PSU in fundraisers. Joe Paterno has built PSU into a college football powerhouse throughout his career and will continue to be a powerhouse years after he's done at dear ole' State.

However when will Joe call it quits? When will he be done so that the PSU football program can name a coach that will revive PSU to its glory that it once was?

For the present, Joe is not "restoring the roar" at PSU and it's evident. Year after year PSU fans have to endure watching the same old routine. Beating teams they should beat and losing the teams that well are not expected to win. In this day and age, PSU should NEVER be expected to lose a game against anyone. However, every year they are expected to lose teams such as Ohio State and Michigan, the annual top two teams in the conference every year. It's clear that PSU can't be part of the elite anymore evidenced by their 8-20 record against the "big boys" since 1993 (year PSU joined the Big Ten) and obviously the "big boys" are OSU and UM. Hell PSU is not even doing well in their own conference. Since 2000, PSU is 32-32 against the Big Ten. Also since 2000 PSU has only finished above fourth place in the Big Ten ONCE. Any normal college football fan would tell you that is not Penn State football. That is not the way Penn State football was once played. PSU fans have gone from thinking "I wonder what big time bowl game we'll go to?" to "Hopefully OSU and UM don't embarrass us THAT bad this year."

Reason why PSU is doing through a decline of their football program is mostly because of one man and one man only....Joe Paterno. Every year PSU gets out-recruited by OSU and UM, check the recruiting sites, that will show you all you need to know. Joe has only visited a recruit ONE time this past recruiting year and most likely this up coming year as well. Big time coaches do NOT do that. Alabama coach Nick Saban visited almost all his recruits this past year, same with Jim Tressel, same with Les Miles and so on and so forth. PSU can't let Joe bring the program down in terms of recruiting, in some people's eyes, that's the most important thing in college football. You need to get your players, develop them, then you'll have a great team and honestly PSU is not doing that at all. They can't do that because they don't know if Joe will still be here in the next couple years.

It will show you that not only is OSU and UM getting better players overall but especially better players on the offensive side. Which brings me to my next point in the old, slow and typical PSU offense that seems never to improve. Only one year was the PSU offense actually dynamic and could score points and that was 2005 thanks to Michael Robinson. Without his athletic ability to scramble around and make plays on his own that offense would've probably been mediocre as well. Just watch most of the games where PSU either has to play OSU or UM or a top 25 team on the road, you'll see how most of them go. The defense always plays great, always plays top notch year after year yet you watch the offense which seems like it's miles behind.

What's also disturbing about the decline of PSU football is the number of players that are getting into legal trouble. For what PSU stands for and for so many years PSU has always has had a good reputation for being a clean program it's beyond embarrassing to see almost week after week this past year a new player getting in trouble. Joe doesn't have control of the program anymore which lets these kids get away with it. He can't relate to the players anymore which makes them that more likely to do something stupid. Yea I realize they're college kids and all college kids do something stupid once in a while but jeez you'd think that it would stop. It hasn't stop and it won't stop for a while until a new regime is placed. You never saw this at PSU 20 years ago, Joe would straighten them out and I always believed that he always will straighten them until all these recent crime related events that have been occurring.

Joe, Penn State loves you, college football loves you, everyone loves. It will be a sad day when you decide to retire but if you keep fighting to get an extension, the deeper you're digging the hole for the next coach to come in and try to bring PSU back where it should be. The way you brought PSU back from the grave in 2005 was great, you gave PSU respect across the country, however if you don't make 2008 your last, you'll be digging PSU right back into that grave.

What's This About?

A little introduction about what I'm about and what this blog will be about.

Before I state what I'll have in this blog, I'll let you in on who I am. First off I'm a 16 year old student (young, I know) at a small school in central Pennsylvania (not stating where that is for all the weirdos of the world to see). I have a huge passion in my life and that is sports. Non-stop do I think about sports, even most of my 360 games are sports games. I watch ESPN, Fox Sports, and the Big Ten Network daily. Which brings me to why I'm blogging.....

This blog won't be your typical blog about life, it'll be all about sports. A complete sports blog that I decided to create. I'll be mostly talking about my favorite teams which are Penn State football and basketball, Steelers, Penguins and the Pirates (unfortunately). You'll see my views and in takes on not only them but other national sports headlines.

Why am I blogging about sports? Well right now I'm thinking about getting into journalism for a career choice, specifically sports journalism. Writing comes naturally to me and I'm most familiar with sports so I decided that right now sports journalism would be a good career choice for me.

Why is my title "Final Burn"? For those of you that watch "Jim Rome is Burning", (which many don't since not many like him, don't know why, think he's very intelligent and knows his stuff), his last segment is "My Final Burn" as he talks about whatever sports topic he wants to, which is what I'll be doing.

So if you're reading this, look forward to my opinions on some issues or some talk about the world of sports.